


The Bride Wore Blush

by theimpossiblegeekygrrl



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Conversations, Gen, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Marriage, Mother-In-Law Relationship, Post-War, Pregnancy, Snape Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2019-12-31 22:29:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18323231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theimpossiblegeekygrrl/pseuds/theimpossiblegeekygrrl
Summary: Narcissa had decided to wear white, since the bride wore blush. Her robes were white silk, the colour of wholeness, of kindness… of truce.(Was once part of Naughty Drabble and Ficlets, now standing alone. Part of the Unexpected Experiences Universe.)





	1. The Bride Wore Blush

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Unexpected Experiences](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5011771) by [honeymink](https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeymink/pseuds/honeymink), [theimpossiblegeekygrrl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theimpossiblegeekygrrl/pseuds/theimpossiblegeekygrrl). 



Narcissa needed a drink for this.

She chose a rosé, the Garrus from Chateau D'Esclans to be exact. Only the best.

The sales girl raised her eyebrows when she saw the bottle, but said nothing when she gave her a glass. Her name was Rose, oddly enough, and she looked as fresh and pink-cheeked as a babe.  Narcissa found herself wondering if she'd been a Hufflepuff too, with all of her wasted sweetness.

Eyeing her nails, the colour of the cameo on her lapel, she fought the urge to walk out when Hannah appeared in a blush coloured wedding dress.

"No Malfoy has ever, or will ever, wear a pink dress on their wedding day," Narcissa said. She shook her blonde head and tutted, just as Lucius often did, finishing her glass in one gulp.

"Thank heavens I'm an Abbott, Mrs. Malfoy," Hannah said, the frost in her voice as cold as the air outside. Two clerks bustled around her with wands and floating rulers as they adjusted the disaster of a dress she was wearing. There was no ornamentation to it at all. Just fine layers of organza in fifty shades of blush.

The girl looked bloody ridiculous.

“You will be a Malfoy, though. I am one." Narcissa poured another glass and compared the colour of the wine to the colour of the dress, seeing no difference.

"Are you no longer a Black, then?" Hannah asked, holding out her arms as the floating needles and threads went to work.

"No. I left that life when I left my parents' house."

"But I left my parent's house after my Seventh Year. What does that make me?" Hannah puffed a long strand of wheat coloured hair from her forehead.

"Common," Narcissa sniffed, eyeing the burgeoning belly the dress couldn't quite conceal.

"A fine thing to say, Madam," Hannah said, turning her face away.

She hid behind her hair, not wanting to look at Mrs. Malfoy with her fine features and hair like snow and coal. Nor at the delicious looking wine she could not drink a drop of, thanks to Draco's interest in Muggle pregnancy books.

"Is it not true? Why, in my day – "

"What? In your day, you worshipped murdering noseless demigods," Hannah muttered, wincing when one of the needles jabbed her tender skin.

"He wasn't noseless to begin with! You know nothing," Narcissa said, immediately regretting her words.

"Will you ladies excuse us for a minute?" Hannah said, wearing a sweet smile as she held her belly and stepped off the platform.

The clerks dashed out, perhaps sensing what was to come.

Hannah sat down in the chair across from Narcissa, mindful of the pins in her dress. She cleared her throat a few times, trying to find her voice past the huge lump.

_Silly hormones._

"In case you forgot, Madam, my mother was murdered by the noseless bastard's goons. As were several of my friends. I understand far more than you give me credit for."

Narcissa took another sip of the wine, then tipped back the whole glass. There was another bottle in her purse, thanks to an Undetectable Extension charm. In fact, there were three, truth be told.

"I had forgotten," she said.

"I haven't," Hannah hissed.

Narcissa saw that Hannah’s eyes were turning pink. A tearful shade of cerise. And she has herself to blame. This should be a happy day, except here they were, like this.

"I'm sorry, if it means anything," she said softly. "I did not bear the mark and was not privy to all. Women, and children… _it was wrong."_

Hannah nodded, sniffing as she wiped her eyes with a handkerchief that sat on the table next to her. "But it was _all_ wrong. Don't you see that now?"

Narcissa hesitated before answering. "It didn't start that way. It was about protecting our lines – our kind - the purity – "

Hannah stood and walked to the mirror, folding her arms over her chest.

"I'm not pure. Not a bit. Just a loose Hufflepuff, and a half-blood at that. A stain on your family tree, me and the baby. Two pink little stains that will be erased, after we are gone."

"It's a girl?" Narcissa asked, feigning a slight aloofness as her eyes stung.

"Yes. We found out this morning," Hannah said. She looked down at her belly, running her hands over the abundant swell.

Narcissa turned, not wanting Hannah to see the tears that were falling. She and Lucius had so wanted a girl after Draco was born. But after three crippling miscarriages, she'd taken a Potion that she and Lucius both had begged Severus to make. It had closed her womb forever.

The liquid in the vial had been black as pitch and thick on her tongue when she swallowed. The flavour had reminded her of death.

"Have you thought about a name?" Narcissa asked, drinking more wine so she wouldn't have to clear the lump in her throat.

Hannah's hands paused, just barely caressing the blush covered bump. "Draco mentioned star names are traditional with your family. We've left it at that for now."

Narcissa's skin felt warm. She glanced in the mirror, covertly so that Hannah might not notice, and saw her cheeks were as pink as fresh cherry blossoms.

"What was your mother's name?" Hannah asked.

"Druella. She was a Rosier, of course. What about yours?"

"Dinah. She was a Muggleborn, as you know."

Hannah turned from the mirror, eyeing Narcissa cautiously as she sat down next to her. The dress floated around her, like the clouds surrounding a coral sunrise. Absently, she puffed away the same stubborn strand of hair.

Something moved Narcissa, though she was not sure what. Perhaps it was that with her fair hair and pale skin, Hannah looked a lot like the daughter of her dreams, save for the tawny eyes. She reached over to smooth the stray hair away. But when Hannah flinched at her touch Narcissa pulled back, picking up her glass as though it never happened.

"What drew you to my son? With all that should have kept you apart, it amazes me that you two have managed to make things work."

Hannah shrugged, fiddling with the pink sapphire earrings that she'd taken to wearing every day since that first night with Draco on the train.

"Draco's not the man he lets on to be, you know. I think I saw that, really saw that, for the first time at the party on the Hogwarts Express. Even though it shouldn't work, it does. I love him, and he loves me."

Narcissa looked up with genuine surprise.

"You love each other?" she asked, stunned. "Truly?"

"Of course, we do. Why else would we be handfast and wed?" Hannah asked, appearing to be as taken aback as her future mother-in-law.

"I just assumed with… " Narcissa waved a hand a Hannah's middle.

"You just assumed that we were getting married because of the baby and no other reason?" Hannah asked, her voice rising. "We've been living together since Valentine's Day. This child was planned! It was Draco who insisted we make things legal with the Ministry for the sake of our daughter's future, nothing more!"

Narcissa absorbed the words, blinking as she tried to focus. A planned child out of wedlock. When did that ever happen in their world? It surely didn't happen in her time, not ever. Narcissa hadn't been a virgin when she and Lucius had wed, and she'd been on the Potion until they'd been ready to produce an heir.

Ironic now, of course…

Vaguely hearing someone crying, Narcissa looked up and saw that it was Hannah. Lines of tears streamed down her face, wiped away by a rough looking hand adored with a pink sapphire engagement ring.

"I didn't want you here today, but Draco insisted," Hannah said. "I knew this would happen!"

She continued to cry into a handkerchief adorned with bright Gerber daisies. They were the same colour as the little dress Lucius had bought the last time Narcissa was pregnant - the colour of Fairy Floss.

Narcissa looked at her empty wine glass and removed the second bottle from her bag, along with the goblet she carried for emergencies. A flick of her wand took care of the cork.

"I won't tell if you won't," she said, passing Hannah the goblet of blush wine.

Hannah took a sip, then smiled and took a second. "Just a couple of swallows."

Narcissa sighed. "My son has such grand ideas about things, doesn't he?"

"He's just protective," Hannah sighed, taking one last drink before setting the glass down.

"So was Lucius," Narcissa said, pouring the rest of Hannah's glass into her own. "When I was pregnant with Draco he asked Severus to make potions for me to take, just to ensure his heir would be 'healthy and virile'."

Hannah giggled, then put a hand over her mouth as she laughed louder.

"Like father like son?" Narcissa guessed.

Hannah nodded, gasping for breath in between laughs.

"I'm afraid it'll be worse now that we know it's a girl. He apparently longed for a sister…"

Hannah stopped laughing and looked at Narcissa with worried eyes. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Malfoy –"

"It's… it is what it is, Hannah. Lucius and I always wanted another child... a daughter, it's no secret," Narcissa said, not wishing to hear how thick her voice was with unspoken emotion.

"You'll - I mean I know it's not the same, but you'll have a granddaughter."

Narcissa closed her eyes and wept silently, unashamed of her tears.

The world turned rose as Narcissa cried.

She sat down her glass with shaking hands. No use in spilling a perfectly good drop due to grief.

Tears she was used to – her years had been filled with tears for her three lost children, for her parents, for her sisters… and for the niece she'd never gotten to know due to the opinions of her day.

The arms that suddenly caressed her into an embrace were foreign to her – strong with muscle and lean. The scent of peonies filled her nose, and she inhaled deeper as Hannah rocked her gently.

Hannah still held her even when the tears were gone. She cast a Drying charm over both of their dresses, even if the black Narcissa wore never showed any ill.

"Let's not tell the men about this. It would just upset them, Lucius especially," Narcissa said. She looked up and into the kind brown eyes that still sparkled a bit with moisture.

"Agreed," Hannah said.

Narcissa immediately missed the warmth of her arms when she moved away, and she shivered a little as she picked up her glass again. “Should we let the clerks back in? I'm sure their ears are tired from listening at the door."

"I guess so," Hannah said.

"Wait!"

Hannah turned back, suddenly feeling very protective of the small woman who she had once been so afraid of. She handed Narcissa her own handkerchief and watched while she dried her bright blue eyes. Hannah had never noticed it before, but they were the same colour as her mother's – the colour of the sky at Hogwarts in the spring.

"Hannah, I… my son loves us both, doesn't he?" Narcissa asked.

Hannah nodded instead of speaking, too afraid to make a sound.

Narcissa looked at the blush dress, thinking maybe pink wasn't such a terrible colour after all. The shades of this girl's life were pink – the colour of love, of feminine power… and of hope. She may never be a Malfoy, not in the same way Narcissa was… and perhaps that wasn't the worst thing that had happened to the family.

"It's a tie that binds, isn't it?"

Hannah nodded again, still not speaking.

"Then… perhaps you should call me Cissy, like everyone else does," Narcissa said, looking down at the wine instead of into Hannah's warm eyes.

The arms were around her shoulders again, and dammit if Narcissa didn't feel more tears fall onto her cheeks. She’d had so much wine that she knew they would be lividly pink now, like the stain left on them whenever she and Lucius had a long afternoon romp.

Hannah's belly pressed into hers. Four sharp, distinct kicks transmitted from the full womb into Narcissa's empty one.

It made her laugh, genuinely, for the first time in years.

"She's lively! Can you feel… ridiculous question, of course you can."

Hannah nodded shyly before saying, "She does it more when you are near."

For the first time since finding out about the pregnancy, Narcissa lifted her hands to place them on Hannah's stomach. She looked up, asking for permission, and found it with a gentle nod.

Tiny kicks greeted her hands, filling them with movement and life.

"My granddaughter," Narcissa sighed, resisting the urge to rest her head against the little feet and kiss them. She spoke the words from her heart when she whispered, "I love you, sweet pea."

Hannah's hands covered hers and squeezed. "She loves you too."

They stayed there until the kicks slowed to sleep, and the eavesdropping clerks finally checked in on their clients.

* * *

Narcissa beamed as Hannah walked down the grand staircase of Malfoy Manor on her father's arm. Her beautiful, blush coloured dress floated around her, as did the lightly pink lace veil made by Belgian witches.

Only the best, of course, for a Malfoy.

In her hair, woven into the braids she and Hannah had painstakingly charmed into place, were the palest pink Dianthus flowers, matching the colour of her dress. They had woven the same flowers into a circlet that sat on Narcissa's fair head. She'd gone to Madam Primpernelle's last week and had the black removed forever, leaving only the pale hair of her youth and of the days before death took over her life.

Lucius frowned at her and shook his head from where he stood between Draco and Severus. He'd worn black - head to toe in black velvets and silks that did not suit most men. Narcissa merely smiled brighter at him, focusing her gaze on the pink flower at his lapel.

Narcissa had decided to wear white, since the bride wore blush. Her robes were white silk, the colour of wholeness, of kindness… of truce.

It might never be perfect. They still had Lucius to win over for instance.

Even if the man went a little goofy whenever Draco said the word 'Grandfather'.

 

 


	2. Epilogue: The Groom Got Lectured

Lucius rolled his eyes as Severus pinned the pink boutonnière to his lapel.

"Do be careful, Severus, that's Chinese silk you're attacking."

Severus pursed his lips, pulling them back into a sneer before he left the room, patting Draco on the back on his way out.

"Son," Lucius said, sitting down in the palatial chair. Green silk brocade. Exceptional quality.

"Father," Draco replied, sitting down on the foot stool in front of him.

Lucius toyed with his walking stick, rubbing the dark wood lazily before he looked back up at his son. "You and I discussed the birds and the bees years ago, while you were still in school. Much to your benefit, yes? If your 'stellar' reputation holds true, that is."

"Hannah has no complaints," Draco said dryly.

"Obviously, you know how things work, considering her current… state of affairs," Lucius grimaced.

"Quite," Draco bit out. He knew where this was going dammit. Why today?

Lucius sighed grandly and set his grey eyes on his son. “Seriously, Draco, a Hufflepuff? They are meant to practice on, not to knock up and marry."

Draco nodded his head, narrowing his eyes while trying not to lose his temper. "Mum's come to love her."

"Your mother is a sentimental ninny," Lucius said. "A woman of her age wearing white? With flowers in her hair? Absurd."

"It's called 'happy', Father. Mum is happier than I've seen her in my life. Every time she thinks of little Dora she practically sings to herself."

"That's another thing. Naming her after your Hufflepuff cousin? Have you gone mad?"

Draco merely shrugged. "Teddy will appreciate it one day. Hannah and I both like the name. As does Mum."

"Again, with your soppy mother." Lucius tutted to himself, scowling at the pink flower on his black silk coat.

"She's got the right idea, Dad. She's excited about being a Grandmother. I thought you would be too - about being a Grandfather."

That did it. Lucius carefully hid the smile that tried to erase his frown.

Draco narrowed in on the attack, as he and Mum had been doing these past weeks.

"Would you like to be a 'Granddad'? No, I shouldn't think that would suit you. How about 'Grandfather'?"

"She'll have two of those," Lucius said, pretending to look uninterested.

"What about 'Grandfather Lucius'? That way she'll always speak to you with the veneration you deserve."

Draco watched his father's eyebrows twitch, then his lips. He liked it, very much indeed.

"Little Dora Malfoy, her blonde hair in a plait, walking through the gardens with her Grandfather Lucius. Sounds nice to me."

Lucius couldn't hide the silly smile this time, though he did put a hand over his mouth when his face began to ache.

"Just think about it," Draco said, patting his father on his knee before leaving the room.

In the corridor outside, Severus and his mother were waiting for him, looking pensive.

"So?" Severus asked.

"Anything?" Narcissa asked, grabbing his arm.

"Play the 'Grandfather Lucius' angle. And let's hope the baby is blonde, it'll set him completely over the edge."

 


End file.
